[nabs-l] URGENT: Bookshare Needs Your Help

[Bridget Walker]

Hi Lucy,

Were you able to sign the petition? I keep trying but,mi really can not understand the audio. 

Bridget  

Sent from my iPad

On May 25, 2013, at 1:21 PM, Lucy Sirianni <lucysirianni at earthlink.net> wrote:

> Hi all,
> 
>  I apologize if the below has been mentioned on the list before; I glanced through the archives, but as a new member, I may have missed previous posts.  That said, I think the below is tremendously important for all of us as blind students, so I wanted to pass it along.  Please take a moment to look at the links and to consider signing both of the petitions.  According to these resources, it's currently the case that less than 1% of the world's printed books (less than 5% in the US) are accessible to blind readers; I'm sure we all agree that this is an appalling statistic, and I hope many of us will be able to support the people working to change it.
> 
> Thanks, everyone!
> 
> Lucy
> 
> ---- Original Message ------
> From: "Bookshare" <Bookshare at mail.vresp.com
> Subject: URGENT: Bookshare Needs Your Help
> Date sent: Fri, 24 May 2013 23:49:27 +0000
> 
> Dear Lucy,
> 
> It's not typical for us to send you an email like this, but we felt
> this situation was so important it was necessary.
> 
> You may already be aware, but for years negotiations have been moving
> forward on what many have come to call the "Treaty for the Blind -
> http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/39440e0084/377977e221/8c6ac19ad5 " The goal of the international treaty is to make it possible for
> people who are blind, or have other print disabilities such as
> dyslexia, to get access to the books they need for education,
> employment and inclusion in society--no matter where they live.  It's
> something we already do, with great success, in the United States
> through Bookshare.
> 
> However, private interests are trying to alter the treaty in such a
> way that it would become useless--even harmful.  For example, they're
> trying to get language adopted that basically says: "if you can buy
> it, you can't borrow it." This is not only an attack on people around
> the world with print disabilities--it's also an attack on libraries,
> like Bookshare, and could have a drastic effect on the number of
> books you have access to.
> 
> Our biggest worry is this becoming a treaty that could stop Bookshare
> from serving our users in the United States the way we do today.  We
> need our government negotiating for a treaty that supports a library
> like Bookshare.
> 
> That's why we're working with a coalition of disability and library
> groups, including the National Federation of the Blind and the
> American Council of the Blind, to fight back against the proposed
> changes by these private interests.  We'll do everything we can to
> secure a treaty that both protects the access we have now and that
> will benefit people with print disabilities around the world--but we
> need your help.
> 
> We're asking you to take a moment to sign a petition on the White
> House's website that urges the President to step up his support:  -
> http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/39440e0084/377977e221/4e4438ce56
> If we can get to 100,000 signatures, the White House is required to
> respond to the petition and will, hopefully, take positive action.
> With your help we know we can reach that number.  We also recommend
> the petition -
> http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/39440e0084/377977e221/f43c9aab46
> /sid=2&reset=1  at the National Federation of the Blind's site, which is
> particularly accessible.
> 
> Thank you for your time and support.  Together, we believe that our
> collective voice can make a real impact.
> 
> If you're interested in more background on the treaty, here are some
> articles and resources you can review:
> 
> Huffington Post piece by Jim on how the treaty is being poisoned by
> private interests:
> http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/39440e0084/377977e221/3f5de5c34d
> 
> WIRED Magazine article that gives some recent updates on the treaty:
> http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/39440e0084/377977e221/7e58bb06a5
> 
> Sincerely,
> Jim Fruchterman & Betsy Beaumon, Bookshare
> 
> P.S.  Please post the link to the White House petition on your social
> media to help spread the word and get your friends involved! Again,
> here is the link:  -
> http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/39440e0084/377977e221/af6f03126e
> 
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